It’s all smiles at Arizona Snowbowl in Flagstaff, photo above from yesterday. You can practically see the ear-to-ear grin in our friend Gustave Sexauer‘s words as he sez, “I’m happy to report that Arizona Snowbowl has over a 100″ base and is now 100% open, including the hike-to terrain!” Hard to beat skiing with awesome conditions in Arizona sunshine…our friends at Ski Brule on Michigan’s upper peninsula checking in after digging out from 2′ of fresh followed by 50 mph winds; they’re thinking they may just beat Brule’s previous record of lift served skiing through May 15…speaking of the midwest, Lutsen Mountains has their average annual snowfall rate beat by some 50%, they’re also talking about May…mountain ops beat the elements at Mount Snow VT yesterday, they got their usual midweek stuff spinning after brutal ice and winds. I’m planning to ski at Sneaux this afternoon, assuming the Lord tarries and the creeks don’t rise…hard to beat 21-year-old River Radamus at the FIS Junior World Championships; the young skier from Team USA won the Junior Super G gold, Giant Slalom gold, and finished 4th in the Alpine Combined. Radamus DNFd the Slalom event, but 18-year-old Ritchie Benjamin took silver for the Americans. Perhaps these kids will fill the post Bode Miller / post Ted Ligety (sorry) vacuum we’re currently experiencing — that would be cool.